In my January column for Honest To Goodness Magazine I suggest forgoing the annual diet scene. Diets are a losing proposition – and not the kind of losing one would hope for. Maintaining a healthy body and mind requires an equally healthy relationship with food. Food should nourish us, rather than serve as a way to fill an emotional void or dull unpleasant feelings.
With an intention to take better care of your body, introducing the element of mindfulness to eating is a wonderful step toward a healthier relationship with food. To do this we can practice Mindful Eating. This is an idea that dovetails beautifully with the concept of sankalpa described here.
Mindful Eating is not about deprivation, calorie counting, or control. It’s a way of tuning in to the tastes, textures and experience of food, as well as the energy, attitude and purpose with which it’s eaten. Unlike going on a diet for a time (or two or three), it’s a permanent lifestyle change.
I hope you will check the article out to learn more about this valuable practice and if you have questions or comments, you can always “Ask Lynn!”
To accompany your adventures in mindful eating, or if you have embarked on a diet, I devised a practice intended to bring awareness to and wake up the digestive system. Give it a try and let me know how it goes.